


Friday Nights in Apartment 407

by AshleysWrittenWords



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Angst, Drunk Sex, F/M, Fingering, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Kinda, Modern AU, NSFW, Romance, Sex, Smut, Surprise Kissing, Vaginal Fingering, famous au, fluffy at the end, hot trash, im so embarrased to be posting this, please read i beg u, sex with a plot, they be actors, yeehaw, zelink, zelink smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:28:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22536268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshleysWrittenWords/pseuds/AshleysWrittenWords
Summary: Zelda and Link are co-stars on a popular television show. Every Friday night they take time to read through the script for the next week with reality TV and a smidge of alcohol. This time, however, Link is acting strange. (Please comment!)
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 258





	Friday Nights in Apartment 407

“No, Dad, I’m fine.”

An overwhelmed Zelda attempted to free her hands by dangling her car keys in her mouth. The car, which had been successfully parallel parked after merely ten trifling minutes, was long left behind for the curb. Her shoulder strained from the weight of her purse. Muffled by the current object in her mouth, a whine tore through, “Weally Da’. I em _pine_.”

With a righteous eye roll and boundless excuses, the phone call ended by the time she stumbled up the apartment complex steps. She still couldn’t fathom how Link could manage to find parking in this part of the city, but he always had his secrets. Speaking of, their weekly script-reading was due for today. The bustling streets continued behind her as she scrolled through her phone for the right code.

It had started a year ago. Zelda decided to dabble in acting after taking a pause for university studies. The parents of Zelda Harkinian had been insistent she was made for show business since she was a toddler, and though she developed a fondness of the hobby there were other avenues she wanted to explore in life. In other words, she wanted to leave acting for what it was – a hobby, not a career. Yet fate had other ideas. With her independent demeanor and her insistence of pulling away from family fortune to make her own, acting was the first thing she turned towards for extra cash. And so have it, only a couple blind auditions later she found herself in a major role that became a Netflix hit. Her father had always called her a princess, but Zelda never expected to find herself being one on a period drama.

The buzz to call her co-star was shrill as always.

“Who is it?” His voice was robotic and overly gruff. Must be from watching too many westerns again.

Zelda shrugged her boulder of a purse further on her shoulder and spit out her keys, “Your worst nightmare.” The static from the rusty speaker cut off and a click at the door signified it was unlocked. She stifled a grin as she opened the heavy door with much effort.

She met Link on set of what was to be the first episode. It was in the early hours of the morning and she had just slept through her transformation into Princess Hilda. The scene was set up to be intentional, for it was the first time the characters would see each other since they were children. Hilda and Ravio were torn apart in favor of war; she to her duties and he to the battlefield. An intense scene, to say the least. Nevertheless, Zelda loved filming within the walls of the historic castle of Hyrule – the preservation was immaculate and it was surreal to walk through the halls in third century gowns and despite their weight she did feel like royalty. It was so easy to get lost in the feeling of being Hilda that when she turned the corner to see a strapping young man in green, the cameras didn’t seem to exist. The intense lighting fixtures melted to the background and she had stumbled on her words immediately, the script forgotten. It wasn’t until he uttered her character’s name did she snap out of it.

And now she was in leggings and her old high-school track T-shirt with no doubts in her mind about her chosen outfit. Surely, they had grown close as fellow actors, but nothing more. At most, she considered him a close friend and was proud for him to call her the same. No strong feelings and no regrets… as far as she cared to admit. No worries, though. Her mind was only on the pizza awaiting her at the top of the stairs.

The door to apartment 407 was unlocked and she pushed her weight onto it. A goofy smile she reserved for the privacy away from cameras pushed through, toothy and bright. “Honey, I’m home!”

She held up the bottle of rosé for emphasis, not bothering to look at him as she closed the door. Link was at the island of his kitchen, thumbing through a large stack of papers as if he hadn’t heard her. Zelda stopped in the threshold at the lack of humorous acknowledgement. The knight in shining armor adorned a pair of drab sweatpants (the grey ones with a hole at the knee), and a simple white undershirt. His brow was creased with intensity at the sight on the counter.

Link had an annoying habit of being a cheapskate. After being kicked out of his dad’s house at 18, he moved to the cheapest place downtown Castle Town had to offer and he’s refused to move anywhere else ever since. To Zelda, it seemed that he kept every piece of free furniture for the last three years. The small table sitting next to the kitchen looked like it had been dragging straight from his landlord’s basement. And being one of the most stubborn men alive, he was incredibly resistant to her pleads to buy anything above necessity even though they both knew they were reimbursed generously for their time. “Luck doesn’t last forever, Zel,” he would always say. “Who knows? Tomorrow or next week some controversy can pop up and my career is ruined. I don’t want to blow it.”

“Are you alright?” She found herself saying. Link was oddly quiet for a Friday night. Usually he would already be drinking and trying to find a Real Housewives of Faron rerun. In a sharp contrast, he looked up so quick it gave her whiplash and stared as if he hadn’t even noticed she entered the room. Then, he weakly spoke, “Yeah! Yeah.”

“Oookay,” Zelda tilted her head to the side and decided to cast the worry away and began rattling on about her day. From the start of the week at her classes to the late night of filming when they weren’t at the same sets. “-and I thought I wouldn’t like it because usually I hate sweet wines, but it’s actually not that bad. I know you don’t care for girly drinks, _however_ I think you should still try it even if it is pink.”

Zelda set the bottle down beside him and rummaged through a drawer for the cork-screw opener he seemed to reserve for her lavish variety of wines she tended to tote over. The failed attempt of a bun flopped on her head with abandon and his lack of snarky comments made her look up. He was still staring at that page.

“Oh, is that the script?” She asked absently, bringing the metal screw to the cork. Almost immediately, he flipped the packet shut and mumbled something. That was when Zelda panicked, mostly internally. Her hands met the cold island granite, leaving the screw standing on the bottle. “Link, I’m serious,” Zelda stared up at him and he finally stared back. “Are you unwell?”

“No,” he said, crossing to the other end of the room to meet the liquor cabinet.

She narrowed her eyes, “Then, did I do something wrong? I’m confused.”

“Goddesses no!” His too blue eyes were wide with alarm. “Don’t do that to me.”

“Then tell me what’s wrong,” she stated it bluntly as a mother would to her child. They stared at each other from each side of Link’s apartment, both with some type of alcohol in their grasp. As expected, he folded.

A deep sigh surfaced from the very pits of his soul, “Revali called an hour ago.”

Revali was the production sound mixer for the show and also happened to be Link’s true mortal enemy. They had at least one clash per filming over how his voice can’t reach the mics; at this point she’s convinced the Rito is doing it out of spite. Zelda raised her eyebrows and her shoulders relaxed in relief that she hadn’t done anything to slight him. A silly notion to begin with. “Oh?” She asked, “I thought you two had called in a truce this week.”

“Yes, well, apparently I somehow fucked up the lapel during that battle scene,” he paused at Zelda’s confused expression. “The one we flew out to Gerudo Town for.”

“Oh,” her eyes flicked from the wine bottle to him in disbelief. “ _Oh_.” That scene took an entire day to film, no less it was the middle of summer in the desert. She was very fortunate that the writers decided that Hilda wasn’t present. The most unfortunate about the whole ordeal was that though the ancient Gerudo creed of barring men from the city had been lifted in the last century, it wasn’t uncommon that men weren’t allowed in certain buildings as the were in, say, Castle Town. Link had spent a half hour on the phone with her complaining about not being able to enter a bar after 5pm. “What day does he want you to come in?”

“Tomorrow.”

“On a _Saturday_?”

He hummed a sad tune as his hands found a whiskey glass, “I’ll be spending the weekend screaming and grunting into a microphone.”

“My deepest condolences. I wish I could help you on this one,” Zelda smiled as Link revealed the pizzas that were hidden in the oven. They worked in silence with the television droning on in the background. The princess’s job was to set the small breakfast table with paper plates and migrate their chosen drinks over, while the frustrated blond searched his fridge for extra cheese. The pizza boxes were placed on the table beside their own copies of the scripts.

Link made sure to take a bite of his slice of pizza before speaking, “Have you read through it?”

Zelda shook her head and grazed over the pages, “I had a macro exam. Besides, I never do anyway.”

The second season of the show was moving smoothly, but the dramatic success of the premiere still left her shocked. As a child, she never did anything as well-renowned. At most she was an extra on children shows and played a secondary role for a low-budget soap opera. On the other hand, Link had been somewhat exposed to the limelight after picking up a modeling gig for an alternative fashion website. His career skyrocketed steeply into acting before coming upon where they were now. Paparazzi had even become a norm to him since 17. Then there was Zelda, she had once nearly sucker punched a man for following her too closely in a Walmart. A year together had changed a lot, he helped her with the cameras and she corrected some of his quirks on set. Like when his brow twitches after Revali gives him an earful.

As much as acting held a special place with Zelda, she’d never get used to the spotlight. Especially when one of the producers suggested that Link and Zelda should become an item for promotion about a month ago. No, she doubted she’d get used to staging photos of them pretending to be a couple. At least she didn’t have a “real” boyfriend to complicate things. Link didn’t seem to mind either.

“Did you read the fanfiction I sent you?” She questioned, looking up from the words to catch him smiling. He put his elbows onto the table, leaning in with a wolfish grin. “Which one?”

Zelda laughed, “Certainty not the one you’re thinking of.”

“Not where Hilda and Ravio are alone _finally_ after so long and learn of their deep love for each other and fall into a passionate embrace and Hilda moans-”

“ _Link!_ ”

“No, she says Ravio’s name. Good guess though!”

Zelda collapsed in her arms as the man laughed triumphantly. Though, she did find comfort in the fact that Revali’s demands hadn’t broken him tonight. “Let’s get this over with before I finish the bottle at your horrible jokes.”

“You love them.”

The clock had turned into the late hours of the night by the time they had made a dent into the next few episodes. Although Ravio spoke very little and preferred action over talking, Link did most of the lines for every other character which left Zelda crying laughing in her seat and praying to the gods to stop her from dropping her glass.

Link mimicked Urbosa’s deep Gerudo accent as he spoke for Hilda’s advisor, “Your Royal Highness, I cannot emphasize _enough_ -” His fist hit the table and made the glasses clink on the wood. It also sent Zelda into a silent fit of hysterically painful laughter. “-that man will be our ruin if we allow his diplomats through these gates.”

It didn’t matter what else he said. The wine had sent Zelda into a spiral of laughing delirium, a version of her that Link was set to keep her in.

“B-But Khalil, please keep- please keep in mind… Fucking hell, Link stop that!” Zelda snorted, falling back on her chair at the sight of Link’s stoic face.

His brows knitted, “I do not understand. Who is this Link?”

“Son of a bitch, stop! My stomach hurts!” The greasy paper plate was flung at him. He broke his character and straight into laughter that matched her own. “Alright! I apologize, princess. Go on.”

Not without hints of laughter, they ran through the lines up until Ravio entered the room.

“Oh, look. We’re together again,” Zelda smiled lazily and somewhat exhaustion at her laughter. She decided she rather enjoyed rosé, his company was never bad either. It was nice to look forward to them interacting on set in the next week. Ravio had been fighting off the evil Ganon for far too long while Hilda was deeply entrenched in royal affairs to tie down the kingdom. The show was rather dramatized, but she enjoyed the political spats Hilda tended to be involved in – it rung true to her major. There was a beat of silence that caused her eyes to flicker to his, wondering if Link forgot it was his line they were on.

His eyes on her startled Zelda. It starkly reminded her of how they froze her in place over a year ago. Link spoke without looking at the script, as if already memorized them.

“Your Highness.”

“Um.” Line, Zelda. Read your line. Her index finger stopped on the page. The direction given indicated that Hilda was supposed to be somewhat shocked, it sounded more like cardboard. “Commander Ravio, I-”

“Speak honestly with me, princess. Tell me it isn’t true.”

His intonation was angry. Zelda blinked. Ravio had so much dialogue, how strange.

Again, the direction was confusing and the words unintentionally came out the same. “I have not a clue what you speak of. Are you not supposed to be in enemy territory?”

“Fighting your war? I was,” Link said, barely glancing at the document.

Ravio was set the cross the throne room and towards Hilda with a bitter distain. Hilda stammers for a moment before the anger of his insubordination boils over. He speaks before she can voice it.

“Now, I am here. Because of you.”

“To what?” She tried to match his tone, “To overthrow me before I end this bloodshed?”

“End it?” His disbelief was palpable. “Marrying him would mean death to us _all_ , Hilda!”

Oh, right. Hilda was entertaining Ganondorf’s proposal. She could barely register what was happening the past three hours.

Link spoke again, “You threw me out of the court and to the wolves! This was your plan all along.”

“You lie!” The pit of her stomach dropped, be it from the wine or the words – Zelda didn’t know. Hilda smothers her own tears, now. “No other man could do what you have done for this kingdom! I have fought my own battles in this court and I must pay reparations for my losses. _Nothing_ will compare to losing you again.”

Zelda felt herself tense. “I cannot lose you again, Ravio. I will not survive it.”

The show was written to hint at a budding romance between Ravio and Princess Hilda. It was never assured and the history books never explicitly mentioned what happened to the real Ravio and Hilda, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the show continued to be as tantalizingly vague. Redness painted Zelda’s cheeks to a scarlet and burned the tips of her ears. She couldn’t bring herself to meet Link’s eyes.

“How interesting,” she found herself saying as she read and reread the script. Her hand edged the top of her wine glass.

Ravio kisses Hilda before her court, before everybody. It’s a passionate, long kiss.

“Revali never actually called. Urbosa did,” Link said, more softly than Ravio. “I didn’t mean to lie to you, but she warned me about this part. Something about it made me think you’d feel uncomfortable.”

It was so like Urbosa to know about their Friday night ritual. Zelda’s voice sounded comparable to a mouse, “Really?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why do you say that?” She beat down the anxiety in her voice and failed spectacularly. “It’s fine. I’ve just never kissed a man on camera. Or anybody for that matter.”

“You’ve never kissed anybody?” It was his turn to be shocked.

Immediately, she was defensive, “No! I’ve kissed people. Lots of men. Not on camera.” Like three, maybe a fourth at a horrible house party… as questionable as it was. The thought of walking onto set in these next couple days made her nervous. Not only was it the turning point for the show, but she’d be kissing a man in front of dozens of people. She’d have to kiss Link.

When she met him, the small table felt infinitely smaller. His sock-cladded foot that had been resting leisurely on her own for the better part of the night was pulled away as he spoke, “It’s not a big deal. Being on camera and doing that.”

Zelda swallowed thickly, “I guess not. People do it all the time, right?”

He shrugged casually, “I’ve only done it once, but it’s not that bad.”

“With who?” The words came out fast, a slip of the tongue that made his lips quirk upwards and her receding blush return with a vengeance. His thumb met his mouth, reminiscing. Zelda repressed selfish thoughts of him with an impossibly beautiful supermodel. By all accounts, he was an attractive man. Link didn’t start out modelling for nothing, nor did he gain a substantial fanbase for being average. Tall, blond, tan, and a perfect gentleman to boot. If Zelda had been more tuned into pop culture instead of exams before her audition, she was sure to have fallen for him from a couple pictures alone. Of course, it wasn’t until she really met him did she find his boyish personality and horrible jokes that made her smile anyway. They were parts of him a camera could never quite capture. Zelda couldn’t truly blame the young girls that attacked her on social media after their convenient relationship had been “exposed”.

“The woman from _De Novo_ ,” he said with a laugh, pink dusting his cheeks. _De Novo_ was an indie movie he had starred in a couple years ago. A film she put on his television more than one time to make him cringe. “With Ilia Ordon? I don’t remember that.”

“It was cut right before premiere because she nearly bit my bottom lip clean off,” Link smiled at her reaction which was a dramatic wince.

“Gross,” she pushed the glass away from her person and watched him. “Well, I’ll try not to do that,” then she thoughtfully looked up at his ceiling, “No promises, though.” He rose from his chair and took their glasses from the table with an expression she couldn’t read. Link held up her wine glass separate from his whiskey, “Do you want another?”

Zelda pursed her lips with her eyes not quite ready to part from the page below her. “I’m not sure if it’s a good idea,” she said. He nodded knowingly and put the dishes in the sink. They wouldn’t get the attention they needed until the next morning, but he stopped at the counter anyway and looked over it keenly at her.

“Zelda, would you tell me if I said something stupid?”

The question wasn’t said as a joke. She was unsure if she was supposed to laugh or not.

“There’s no other reason I’m here.”

He paused and rested his elbows onto the countertop. Zelda didn’t try to ignore his biceps against his shirt. Link’s tan was almost sinful and his grown-out hair was quite the contrast. How horrible it was that he bulked up for this season. Link didn’t say anything for a long moment and favored the specs in the granite instead of her eyes.

“We’re supposed to be together. In front of people.”

Zelda breathed in. They never discussed their public relationship in private before. It was odd, but it was almost taboo between them and as much as Zelda valued their transparency, she feared things would change if she tried bringing it up. The only times it was acknowledged was when they happened to be in public and he held her hand in front of paparazzi. “Um, yes.”

“I’m worried that it will look weird if we have our first kiss in front of people who think we’ve been at this for months.”

She bit her lip, mulling over his words before reluctantly nodding, “You’re not wrong, I think it’ll be a little awkward.” And then to herself, “In front of all those people, too.”

“What if we- Actually never mind, I think I’m about to say something really stupid,” Link rambled on about going to bed earlier even though it was past midnight. Again, Zelda bit her lip and stood from the table. “- and I’ll have a headache if I stay up any longer. I finally bought bedsheets that actually fit the guest bed so you don’t have to sleep on the couch.”

“What if we kiss beforehand?” She said over his voice and he stopped abruptly to stare. Zelda stuttered to rebound, “I mean! It wouldn’t make it our first kiss on set, then it probably wouldn’t be as awkward!”

Link seemed frozen in his place to blink at her, “It’s up to you.”

His voice carried disbelief, “I would never want to make you feel uncomfortable.” There was a pregnant silence before Zelda chewed at the inside of her cheek and gathered her courage to walk around to the kitchen where Link stood unmoving. “Well,” she started, rather impatiently. Her arms drew up to fold over her chest. “Let’s get it over with.”

A kiss between friends, no big deal.

Ever determined, she planted her feet in front of a hesitant Link and looked up at him with anxious energy. Everything she expected of tonight was thrown out the window by now and neither of them were sure if it was a good thing. “I haven’t,” Zelda restlessly huffed, “I haven’t kissed anyone since the show started, so you can’t make fun of me.”

Link met her eyes when he touched her forearm, his eyes searched her for any intention of moving away. Zelda didn’t because he had never looked at her in the way he did at this moment. His hand moved up to her upper arm, feeling the softness of her skin. The steps he took to close the gap between them were almost unnoticed. “Out of practice? I’ll try to remember that,” he said with a ghost of a smile.

The pounding of her heart seemed to stop and spur into a blitz all at once and she felt him cup her cheek in his hand. Link took his time to make sure she had no reservations about the matter on hand.

“People do it all the time, Link,” Zelda blurted out at his slowness. Her expression seemed to scream “Get on with it!”, but Link knew by her flushed cheeks and clammy palms that she was apprehensive. He knew her too well by now. Before she could voice another complaint, he kissed her.

Squarely on the cheek.

It shut the woman up for a moment before she made sense what had happened wasn’t what was in order. She called his name as he took a step away, obviously amused by his own antics. “Link, that doesn’t count!” Zelda cried, a schoolgirl blush illustrating her thoughts for him to read.

“Is that not what we were supposed to do?” His coyness was nails on a chalkboard.

“That is nothing but a cop-out!”

“Technically it counts. I’m tired and have a hot date with my pillow. G’night, Zel,” Link feigned a yawn and turned towards the hallway next to the living space. Frustration boiled deep within Zelda along with something else _he_ had caused. She gripped his arm before he was out of her reach and yanked him back to his place in the kitchen to glare up at him with a hardened face. “When have you _ever_ stooped to technicalities, Link Forester?”

There was a moment where she contemplated their predicaments, but it didn’t last for long. She pressed her lips to his softly and felt him tense up. Zelda’s heart seized at the sensation of Link’s warmth under his shirt. So close, he was so close. After a couple seconds, she went to pull away from him. As she lowered herself from him, he followed to make up the gap she left – never breaking the kiss. Link’s hand found her cheek once more before moving his lips more forcefully against her. Once the small of her lower back hit the cold granite, she gasped deeper into the kiss. He tilted his head as their noses bumped together and she could only melt into him. Hands clung to his shirt and his own found her waist.

Dimly in Zelda’s mind she thought to herself, “It’s done now. You can stop. You should stop.” But she couldn’t. Especially when his hands tightened around her and his tongue parted her lips. Like the whiskey on his breath, he was intoxicating. He replaced every part of her senses, leaving her wanting and needed more. A satisfied hum resonated through her chest and it seemed to make him more fervent in his kisses.

The room melted away behind them to the point where nothing mattered but their hands on the other. Even the rerun of Real Housewives of Twilight (not as good as the Faron sister series, but acceptable) fell upon deaf ears. A familiar heat flared as Link lifted her hips to sit her on the island, situating himself between her legs to kiss her deeper. Her fingers met at the nape of his neck, too absorbed in the sensation of his hands being so close to her bottom to think about the consequences. His fingers gripped onto her black leggings and trailed down to her thighs. If he was testing the waters, he really didn’t need to. Zelda was putty in his hands. Link found his way back up and underneath the hem of her T-shirt.

Link pulled away, breathing deeply. “So,” he took his time to graze over her disheveled form. “What does Ravio do next?”

They were at the same eye level now, close enough for Link to feel Zelda’s breaths. She stared at his lips for a long pause before her brain caught up to the situation. Then, she pursed her lips to keep from exposing the devilish grin that lurked beneath and shrugged her shoulders. Zelda did what she normally did when Link threw empty questions her way, she pitched them right back.

“I don’t know, Ravio. What do you do?” Her voice was unintentionally pitched lower, caught up in the emotions of what had occurred.

Link smiled in amusement and slipped into an almost childlike curiosity if the predicament wasn’t so mature. “Well, I think I am very respectful of the princess and inquire about what she thinks is best.”

With eyes on the collar of his shirt, Zelda bit her lip. That action seemed to draw his attention more than anything she was about to say. Just to humor him, she straightened her back so she was at least a tiny bit above him. “As a princess, I do think self-preservation is best for people in… our stations. What if someone walks through the door right now? Our reputations would be ruined!”

He nodded, knowingly. “A wise assessment, as expected of Princess Hilda. If I may add,” he said, not without a smile. “People could look through the windows. It would be most scandalous.”

“We can’t start my reign off with scandal, now can we?”

With a fervent shake to his head, Link went to release her but found her hands clasped over his own to stop the withdrawal. He looked up at her in question and she answered fast, embarrassed. “But you started something and it’s your responsibility to finish it!”

“O-oh,” Link was wide-eyed but obedient.

“I’m so sorry that was stupid,” Zelda said, horrified with herself. “That was really, really stupid.”

She was about sputter out another apology before he grasped her hips tightly. “If I recall correctly, you were the one who started it,” Link uttered with a confounding thin smile that left Zelda without words.

“I- Well- No… Perhaps, but it’s still your job to follow through.”

He eyed her as her face turned tomato red, unsure by his expression. Link’s fingers barely scraped the skin underneath her shirt. She was, to say the least, wanting more than just his presence and it showed. Blonde hair escaped her bun and her stretched oversized shirt favoring one shoulder. The man leaned in to examine her. “As Ravio or Link, princess?”

Her breath shallowed in her chest as he slowly caressed her. A smile played on her lips and a tad breathlessly said, “Both, please.”

Link quirked an eyebrow, “So polite. How could I say no?”

He caught her laughter in a kiss that stole both her breath and any ounce of prudence her mind fronted. It was just him again. In a fit of longing, she began drawing her legs together and stopping by his torso. Eyes fluttering shut, she let him pull her in and wrapped her legs around him as if it were only a natural occurrence between them. An inkling of a question of their friendship came and passed just as his hands strongly groped her bottom and rose her from the countertop. Zelda found purchase on his shoulders as the force of his lips arched her back, bringing her body closer to his.

Achingly, Link broke the kiss, “I do declare we need to retire to our chambers!” The woman in his arms stifled a smile and nodded chastely, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “An astute observation, Commander.”

With arms wrapped around his neck, he held onto her as he crossed the living area. She let her fingers splay across his shoulder blades and selfishly indulge in feeling the muscles under his shirt as he moved. The television was still blaring and outside the windows was the city that never stopped. It occurred to her that she shouldn’t worry about what came next. They’ve worked so hard this past year. Stress wasn’t a stranger to either and perhaps this was a natural happening after this culmination of events. Maybe it wouldn’t mean anything past that. At that thought, her chest seized a strange pain. No one would need to know and as far as Zelda was concerned, the only person that existed in this moment was him.

As much as Zelda railed on Link about his apartment and his affinity to cut corners, Link’s bedroom was nice. He took care to buy better furniture than his complex had to offer. She only knew such because it wasn’t that long ago that she helped drag a bedframe up several flights of stairs. Incidentally, it was the same bed that he carefully laid her on. The mattress was cushiony, and it was clear that he followed her advice on getting a mattress pad. Then, his eyes darted above her head and reached over her for a pile of clothes before chucking them to some corner of the room.

“You know,” laughter riddled his words, but it was mixed with the desire evident in his eyes. “I swear my room isn’t usually such a mess.”

Zelda held a secret grin on her lips and her hands brushed away his hair as he towered over her, his arms on either side of her supporting him. “I bet you tell that to every other girl, but I know that’s the biggest lie ever.”

Link hummed in agreement and dipped down to kiss her cheek, “Oh, yeah?”

“Mmhm, can’t fool me,” she mumbled, keeping his face in her hands and tracing the lines his smile made. Her heart fluttered at the sight. She loved his smile and the sincerity it held just for her.

“What are you doing, Zel?” He was amused.

Zelda tilted her head on the bedsheets and met his eyes with a dubious look, “Looking at you.” He seemed confused, so she continued. “Why, it’s not every day a girl like me gets to be this close to _the_ Link Forester. I should count my lucky stars.”

He took a long minute to look at her and paused on her kiss-swollen lips, then sunk down to her. His lips grazed her cheek and, in her ear, said, “I have a princess in my bed, Zelda. Which one of us is luckier?”

A light gasp escaped her as his warm breath fanned onto her neck and traces of his tongue licked below her ear. “And how,” he paused to bite at the sensitive skin of her neck, “could I have other girls over when you’ve been taking up my Friday nights?”

A hand threaded through his hair and her legs began slipping from his waist until he grabbed the underside of her thigh. “O- _oh_ ,” Zelda breathed out, “There are other days of the week, Link.” The way she said his name made him smile against her skin. “Believe me, I don’t have time for anything else but work. You’re crazy to be taking classes still.”

“How do you have time for me then?” Zelda asked absently, without really meaning to because that’s what he did - he made her feel unraveled. He moved up to look at her. “I make time for you. I’ll always make time for you.”

The air around them felt constricting as Zelda processed his words. Undoubtedly, he was talking about how he still tried keeping his modeling career alive, as much as it exhausted him. Impa, the woman responsible for public relations, wanted him to continue to promote the series even though he was by no means strapped for cash. It was then Zelda remembered how she texted him about failing her first class after filming the end of season one, it was the middle of the week but he dropped everything to meet at her place. He helped her realize that she didn’t need to be going to school full-time and work simultaneously. A light blush dusted her cheeks.

“Well, and for Aryll,” he paused to look at the wall and then back. “But I’d really rather not talk about my sister.”

Zelda looked up at him thoughtfully and playfully tugged him down, “And what would you rather talk about?”

Link watched her closely as the hand holding her thigh drifted up to pull at the hem of her T-shirt. “Preferably nothing. I’m actually looking forward to a very one-sided conversation.”

Always entirely unprepared for his touch, Zelda inhaled sharply as his warm fingers ghosted over her stomach. The sound made caught his attention just as his motions stopped at her bra, questioning. His eyes were gentle and complied to moving away as she unlaced her arms from his neck.

Before he could apologize, Zelda sat up to pull her shirt over her head to reveal a bralette below. She flushed at his shocked gaze. Whether it was impatience or the wine from earlier, she nimbly grabbed his hands and slowly drew them towards her. “You have a terrible habit of not touching me,” Zelda mumbled.

At her words, the very thing she desired starts at the curves of her waist and bordered the lacy lining of her bra and his eyes darted to hers. She nodded at the silent request and fabric was moved upwards. Her breasts moved with it until finally coming free from the constriction, she felt him pause his motions before finally untangling the undergarment from her lifted arms. Zelda’s face was heated and she soon learned his was not far from the same. Inwardly, she scolded herself for acting like a hormonal teenager and swallowed harshly. A scrap of consciousness beat through her embarrassment and she decided there was only room for initiation. In this, she reached up and numbly pressed her lips to his.

Like a spark to a flame, his reaction was immediate. The kiss almost reminded him of what they were there to do and he was certainly not in the mindset to stop. He kissed back with a heat that melted Zelda to the pillows below them. They smelled like him and in a drunken haze of thoughts she wondered if he ever thought about her in the dark of nights just as she did him.

“You’re beautiful,” he said in a rough, low voice after suddenly pulling away. The hand that was pushing her thighs apart pressed against the apex of her leggings and in a place that cut her words short in place of a shameless noise. She gripped his shirt as he pressed his fingers down harder, pleased by the sounds she made and the feeling of wetness already soiling a much-loved pair of leggings.

He positioned his knee in such a way to keep her thighs from squeezing together. Her fingers had turned to fists, the material became strained. Her choked gasps evolved into withheld moans. Link let his head sink to the pillow beside her ear and stated the obvious, “You can take it off, Zel.”

Zelda started gather the shirt, but with each attempt to yank it upwards a harsh friction against her caused her to halt any attempts. In turn, Link reveled in her uneven breathes and the tremors of her body. Involuntarily, he pushed himself against the bedding and bit down on his cheek.

“L-Link stop,” she finally said until another rough, targeted movement foiled another attempt. “ _Please_.”

This time, he did. She wasted no time to wriggle him out of the shirt and meet him in a tantalizing kiss. He hummed against her lips as her hands drifted lower from his chest. Feeling, tracing, touching every part her fingers could reach. As expected, he was hot. However, what she didn’t expect was how hot he was to the touch and the new territory caused her to force herself down onto his fingers. Right as she reached the solidness of his pelvic bone, he sharply breathed in. Before she could venture lower, he brushed a hand over the softness of her breast and fingered the waistband on her leggings. Lips parted and with darkened eyes, Link watched Zelda closely as he inched them down. Desperation and pleasure dripped from her form as her chest heaved a breath she couldn’t keep for long.

Link was irrevocably bewitched by the sight of her. And the sound. And the way she reached for him. The way she _needed_ him. It was altogether almost too much. Almost.

Then, his face froze and his eyes left her for his nightstand. Zelda observed him, confused, as he left her now bare hips to reach over to rummage through the small drawer. He muttered a series of unintelligible words before returned to a sitting position to squint at the small package in his hands.

He set it aside and grinned bashfully down at her, “I got worried. Thought they expired.” Her brows rose slightly in realization. Link swiped his thumb over her lips and in a tender voice said, “Are you sure?”

Her eyes fluttered slightly at the feeling of his hands on her hips and nodded, the last of her bun finally coming undone. Pale hair spilled partially in her eyes and she didn’t have the mind to fix it.

“With me?” He asked again as he tugged the last of her leggings off, entranced by the way her tongue moistened her lips when he spoke.

“Yes,” Zelda breathily answered, his hands taking their time to feel up her legs. Her head lolled back on the pillow to keep from making him touch her. Coarse fingers stopped behind her knees, bringing her legs up as he leaned forward. She could feel the fabric of his sweatpants brush against the inside of her thighs. Closer, closer, closer. Then she felt his own need for her press against her. The soft moan in her throat was muffled by his lips.

“Just to be sure,” he said, grip on her legs growing stronger. “Can I hear you say it?”

“ _Gods_ ,” she cursed absently at the roll of his hips. Her fingers threaded through his hair and their noses touched. “Yes, Link, I’m sure I want to have sex with you.”

Their lips moved slowly, but with an intensity. It was a desperation to get lost in the feeling and a need to forget the present. She could only dimly hear the sound of his sweatpants and boxers being thrown to the side, drunk on his undivided attention. A hand left one of her legs and meandered upward, she gasped against him as a finger dipped inward. Link’s head dropped to the crook of her neck, exploring her warmth and feeling her chest heave below him. Zelda tugged at his hair to urge him on. Then, he curled his finger and she moaned without abandon. She gripped onto his bicep as if her life depended on it, making him move up and look at her in awe. Zelda’s green eyes were squeezed shut, her pink lips parted, and her hair created a halo around her head. Link did it again.

She bit her bottom lip harshly and failed to contain the estranged noise.

A second finger slowly entered her and she almost looked like she would cry. Zelda tried grinding down to quicken the pace, but he stopped her in the curiosity of what other sounds she could make for him. His fingers moved in and out slowly, slow enough for her breaths to sound like soft and desperate gasps. Her lips soundlessly formed her name, sometimes coming out in delicious whispers. “Please,” she whined.

“Please what?” His voice didn’t sound like his own.

Half-lidded green eyes glared up at him. They would normally make Link laugh if not for the moan that came after that stifled his humor. It contained his name this time.

Zelda groaned in protest as he withdrew his fingers. Link patted around the bedding, flinging insults at himself for not setting the condom any closer and more convenient. Eventually he did find it between the unmade sheets and ripped it open with his teeth.

The woman below him, who was still reeling, waited rather impatiently until she heard the sound of tearing. Before she could look to where it originated, he was above her again. She took the moment to feel the stubble on his cheeks and met his eyes. Eyes like the deep blue waters of the ocean before a storm. Fondness was in his gaze as he brushed a lock of hair from her own eyes.

“Your eyes,” she found herself saying. “I love them. Your eyes, I mean.”

“You do?” Link questioned, spurring her on.

Zelda nodded slowly. “My favorite color.”

“I thought your favorite color was purple?”

She quirked her lips to the side in contemplation, “You’re the exception.” At that, he couldn’t help but let a small smile slip. Zelda had an affinity of doing that; making him smile. “You’re beautiful,” Link couldn’t help but repeating again. He flickered to her lips and back. This time, she met him with a soft kiss that could melt any man.

Her hands pulled his lips away. Link rested his forehead on hers, careful to avoid putting too much weight on Zelda, and pressed his body flush against hers. Zelda was soft, warm, everything he was sure would invade his dreams for hundreds of nights that followed. Her eyes widened slightly at his arousal. Swallowing thickly, he waited for any indication of her wanting him to stop. On the contrary, she widened her legs and guided him closer to where she needed him the most. One of his hands left her hair to help.

Pleasure clouded his mind when he began to enter her. Unable to look away, Link was transfixed by the way her eyelids fluttered shut. Link fisted the sheets in an effort to resist the urge to move his hips. It wasn’t until she opened her eyes did it occur to them how intimate they had become. Zelda breathed him in, “Please move.” Impossibly to Link, she angled her hips upward.

Link let out a shuddering sigh against her skin as he thrusted in. Zelda breathed out his name wispily, his warmth washed over her in waves. Toes curled in the thrill of hearing his breath hitch in his throat. He was stealing her breath other and other as his tongue laved over her collar bone. Ecstasy overshadowed her reason like the pleasure in her voice, he filled her in a way no other man had.

He bit at a spot she was sure was bruising. A moan spilled from her lips as he pinched a nipple and went to hike her leg higher. Link’s expression could only be described as focused, striking. If she wasn’t so continuously distracted by chasing the high he was giving her, she would have wondered if he was angry. But now, it only led to wanting more. She tried rolling her body against him but he held her down by gripping her hips with a vice against the mattress.

A spiral in the pit of her stomach began to tighten and her breath quickened with his movements. For a split second, she thought that this would be the last time she would ever experience this with him. A part of Zelda was suddenly convinced she would never be this close to Link again. Would it be awkward? Would he realize he didn’t feel anything for her? Does this… mean anything?

And then, she realized this meant everything. Every time it rained and he offered his coat so her hair wouldn’t be ruined. Every time he whispered a horrible joke to her at the table readings. Every time he suffered through her favorite romantic comedies for the umpteenth time.

Link immediately interpreted her slacked expression as being horrified, and in turn, reacted the same. His movements stopped on a dime and frantically inquired, “What’s wrong? What did I do?”

Gently, he touched her cheek to make her look at him. She was flushed and pale, heightening his panic. She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts and in a voice of disbelief spoke, “I’m in love with you.”

Expecting the absolute worst to be said, Link paused. He pulled away from her to a seat, staring. “What?”

She wrestled the pillow out from under her and hid her face underneath it, smushing it down with her arms to escape his gaze. “I’m sorry,” she groaned loudly through the cushion.

“Zelda?” Link touched her splayed fingers and watched them flinch into fists. He looked at her with mounting concern, unsure if he should force the pillow away. Yet he relented, fishing for his boxers and left the room to toss the condom in the bathroom. Link returned forlorn and guilt-riddled to found her curled on his bed, face in her arms. He pushed himself forward to pick up the covers, which had been long kicked off the bed, and wrapped them around her form.

“I’ll um,” Link’s fingers lingered on her naked shoulder, he pulled away. “I’ll go sleep on the couch.”

Zelda’s heart dropped. “I’m sorry. I can sleep on the couch. I should probably go home anyway,” she said, sniffling.

The mattress dipped as he sat on the edge of the bed, “What’re you talking about? I did something wrong.” After a beat of silence, he added, “And it’s three in the morning. You hate driving at night.”

She removed her arms at his insistent nudging. Watery green eyes blinked up at him. “What did you do wrong?”

“I dunno,” he admitted, running a hand through his damp hair and rather self-consciously met her eyes. “It must have been bad, though. To make you react like that. I’m sorry.”

Instead of despair, confusion took hold. Her brows drew together, “You didn’t hear me?”

It was Link’s turn to be confused, “No. I guess not.”

“I said that I was in love with you and ruined everything.”

His eyes widened and suddenly his palms felt sweaty. “Wait, what?”

Zelda blew out a frustrating breath, “Yeah, I know. That’s what you said.”

He grabbed her hands in his, “No really I – You’re in love with me?” With a tinge of suspicion, she studied him before slowly nodded. Relief flooded him and he slumped forward, pulling her into an embrace. “Gods, I was so convinced I fucked up.”

“Link, I’m confused,” she mumbled against his shoulder.

A goofy smile was on his face now, reaching his eyes when he faced her. “I love you, too,” he said frantically to a bewildered Zelda. “I – Seas, you thought I stopped because I didn’t? No, I’m just stupid. I swear I didn’t hear you right. You’ve had me wrapped around your finger for months, Zelda. Of course I love you. I’ve _been_ in love with you.”

She sniffed, tears brimming her eyes. His smile dropped until she said, “You idiot.”

Zelda wrapped her arms around his middle. His heart was beating rapidly and just like that the smile was back. He returned the hug, rubbing her back as he did.

Sighing a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world, he fell onto the bed and took her with him. She yelped into a fit of laughter.

“I’m tired. You’re beautiful. We’re sleeping in until 2 tomorrow. I’m taking you to dinner.”

“No sex?”

An eyelid opened, “N- Well, I mean if you want to.”

“Mmm, I’m tired,” she closed her eyes and nestled into him and the blankets.

“Thought so.”

Then, a comfortable silence.

“Are we going to turn the lights off?”

“Gods no, who am I supposed to stare at through the night.”

Zelda tried wiggling out of his grip, “I’m a woman, Link. Not a statue.”

“Okay, okay! I’ll get it! I love you?”

She smiled, “You better.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written out a graphic sex scene before. And this took two weeks to write because I am a coward. A Coward. Please comment! I want to get better at my writing!


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